Wooden Auxiliary Propeller? No Markings

[The_Amateur]

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping you can help me out by providing some information on a prop I have. I'm assuming it is an auxiliary propeller due to its size. There are no markings anywhere that I can see. It measures approximately 30 1/2" long x 9" tall x 6" deep. The diameter of the hole in the middle is approximately 3 3/4" to 4 1/4". Solid wood with a good amount of weight to it.

Any info regarding age, possible maker, design, value, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Dbahnson]

I think it's more likely a standard propeller with the tips removed. That usually happens due to a prop strike, the prop is discarded, then someone removes the opposite blade and shapes the remnant until the sides match.

Likelihood of positive identification without stamped numbers is almost zero.

[The_Amateur]

Thanks for the info Dbahnson. Would you say this is WWI era? Also, is there any value for an item like this amongst collectors, etc.?

[Dbahnson]

It would be very difficult to date it without more information, but the light colored wood suggests a more modern time period. Frankly, it has little or no value to collectors, and the casual buyer almost always wants to be able to identify what airplane it would have been used on. Even identifiable hubs with stamped identification just aren't worth much, IMHO, despite some outrageous asking prices you may see on eBay.

[The_Amateur]

I appreciate the honesty and candor. Thank you for taking the time to provide this information and for answering my questions!

[Bob Gardner]

Greetings Amateur,

We are all amateurs here, in the original sense of the word; one who loves his subject. As prop hubs go, yours is more attractive than many. And the thin laminations are unusual. It is reminiscent in some ways of a German propeller from WW1 but this is merely a passing thought, of no substance. In which country do you live and how did you find it?

With kind regards,

Bob

[The_Amateur]

Hi Bob,

I'm in western Canada. I actually picked it up at a yard sale! I buy and sell antiques, vintage items, collectibles, etc. I refer to myself at times as an "amateur picker". When I saw it at the yard sale I thought it was pretty cool. I vacuumed all the dirt and cobwebs off it then wiped it down with a damp cloth. Finally I rubbed on a coat of oil used for wood preservation. I thought it was a prop but the small size perplexed me. I know next to nothing about props so started doing some research and ended up here!

[The_Amateur]

I should add that when I bought it the fellow having the yard sale also had no idea why it was so small. He speculated that someone may have shortened it to make a clock.

[Bob Gardner]

You chose well because it is an attractive piece and the comparatively thin laminations are unusual. I assume that it measures about 18 inches or so? If so the, propeller was probably about seven to eight feet long when the blades were complete. Are there no data stamped on the hub anywhere?

At the end of WW1 in 1919 there were tens of thousands of spare propellers and an industry sprang up in Britain converting them into numerous commemorative items, such as picture frames, hall stands, walking sticks, tea caddies, planters for ornamental house plants etc.

The bolt holes appear to be perfectly round and there are no signs of witness marks left on the surface by a hub plate which suggests that the prop was never used, probably because it didn't pass its out inspection or because it was army surplus.

I would think that the flat surface on the top is intended to be the base of the object, on which it stands.

With kind regards,

Bob

[The_Amateur]

The prop is about 30 1/2" long. I've looked all over it and I can't see any markings, stamps, maker's names, etc. anywhere. Whether left as is or made into some other type of item I think it will make a great decorative piece.